With the signing of free agent safety James Ihedigbo, the Lions have put themselves in a good position heading into the NFL draft. They will not be desperate to fill a certain position.

They still have needs, but mostly for depth.

If the season started tomorrow, they could fill out a depth chart with players worthy of starting positions. It could change — and probably will — before September but general manager Martin Mayhew has got them in a good position. And he’s done it without overspending.

The one glaring need at the moment is for a veteran backup quarterback. Shaun Hill has not signed anywhere, but has talked to the St. Louis Rams and is still in the picture for the Lions.

Advertisement

Ihedigbo announced late Monday night on Twitter that he had agreed to a deal with the Lions. It’s for two years.

The 30-year-old safety started all 16 games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 and finished with 101 tackles along with three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 11 pass defenses — all career highs. His secondary coach was Teryl Austin who is now the Lions defensive coordinator.

Coach Jim Caldwell told reporters at the league meetings Tuesday that Ihedigbo is expected to play at strong safety with Glover Quin at free safety for the most part, although there will be some interchanging.

Adding a safety was one of the big pieces of the puzzle for defense.

Wnile cornerback Rashean Mathis, who started 13 games last season has not been re-signed, it’s possible Chris Houston and Darius Slay could be the starters with Bill Bentley at nickel.

Linebackers Stephen Tulloch, DeAndre Levy and Ashlee Palmer return.

Ezekiel Ansah and Jason Jones should start at defensive end with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley at defensive tackle. Free agent defensive tackle Vaughn Martin and defensive end Darryl Tapp were signed for depth.

Wide receiver Golden Tate has been added to the offense along with Jed Collins at fullback.

The Lions have two young kickers — John Potter and Giorgio Tavecchio — signed to reserve/future contracts and expect one of them to replace David Akers.

So at the NFL draft May 8-10, the Lions can use their eight picks to add depth in key spots. They’ve been awarded two fourth-round compensatory picks which gives them three fourth-round picks. They gave up their fifth-round pick in the Mike Thomas trade in 2012.

With the first-round pick at 10th overall they won’t have to reach down or up to fill a need. They should be able to draft outside linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Mike Evans, tight end Eric Ebron or they could move up or down.

About the Author

Paula Pasche is a longtime sports writer for The Oakland Press and blogs at http://oplions.blogspot.com/. Author of book, "100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." Follow on Tout and Twitter @paulapasche. Reach the author at paula.pasche@oakpress.com
or follow Paula on Twitter: @PaulaPasche.